University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Complete First Preseason Scrimmage
August 16, 2000 | Football
Aug. 16, 2000
Chapel Hill, N.C. - Quarterback Ronald Curry completed 5 of 9 pass attempts for 82 yards in North Carolina's first preseason scrimmage late Wednesday evening at Kenan Stadium. Head Coach Carl Torbush was generally pleased with the effort.
"It was inconsistent -- about what you'd expect to have for a first scrimmage -- but at the same time, I thought certain guys stood out. Offensively, Jamal Jones made a couple of real nice catches and he had a couple of reverses that he set his block up real well on. I think he has a chance to make some things happen. Kory Bailey showed some ability to run after the catch, which he's always done, but I thought he caught the ball better today than he has been catching it. Antwon Black was impressive -- I thought he threw the ball as well as I've seen him throw it. Overall, he handled the offense very well."
ailey, a senior from Durham, N.C., had a team-high five receptions for 53 yards and one touchdown. Jones had two catches for a team-high 63 yards. Sam Aiken, Willie Parker and Dauntae' Finger also had two receptions.
"I feel comfortable with the offense," said Curry. "I think we've got a good scheme and great players to run the schemes. Coach O'Cain has really prepped us well. The offensive line is really getting better. I think we looked good, but we've got some work to do. "
Carolina worked on its kicking game for the first 45 minutes of the scrimmage. Senior Jeff Reed was impressive on kickoffs, sending all four attempts into or out of the end zone. Freshman Blake Ferguson was the Tar Heels most consistent punter, with an average of 49.4 yards per punt (5 attempts).
"I didn't see as much consistency with the kickers as I would have liked to have," said Torbush. "I thought early in our kicking drills they did well, but once we got into the scrimmage I didn't see the consistency that we need to have to get the job done."
Although it is still early in the preseason, the defense had several players make an impression.
"It's hard for a lot of those defensive guys to jump out in a scrimmage like this, but a couple of guys did catch my eye," said Torbush. "Issac Mooring, a young defensive end, had several sacks and probably could have had a couple more if we had called them. Kevin Knight and DeFonte Coleman caught my eye. I don't know how consistent they were, but they both looked like they made some plays. Derrick Johnson also looked like he stepped up. Some of the young defensive backs had a chance to make some plays. Another guy who has jumped out consistently has been Will Chapman. Ross McAllister was also in the backfield a lot making some plays early in the scrimmage."
No official scoring was kept in the scrimmage.
INJURY NOTES:
